Posts filed under ‘Judith Stein’
Lower Medicare Age
Lawmakers continue to talk about the future of Medicare as they address the federal deficit, and many of the proposals that have emerged would have horrible repercussions for Medicare beneficiaries and their families. Just last week, Connecticut’s Senator Joe Lieberman suggested raising the eligibility age for Medicare; an unsound idea that would hurt the actuarial balance of the Medicare risk pool. Raising the eligibility age would increase the proportion of older, sicker people in Medicare, while younger, healthier people – and their largely unused premiums – would be excluded. That’s the exact wrong direction, and we at the Center had to respond.
Follow the links below to see our letters in the New York Times and the Washington Post.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/opinion/l16krugman.html?_r=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Our NY Times Letter to the Editor – Improvement Standard Impacts Coverage and Care
The Center for Medicare Advocacy reiterates last week’s New York Times story: the Medicare Improvement Standard is an unjust danger to people in need of care!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/opinion/l08medicare.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y
Pants on Fire!
HEALTH CARE REFORM DOES NOT CUT MEDICARE BENEFITS
Health care reform does not cut Medicare benefits. In fact, health care reform expands Medicare coverage, by eliminating cost-sharing for preventive services, adding a yearly wellness visit, limiting some cost-sharing in private Medicare plans, and closing the Part D “Donut Hole.” It also improves the solvency of the Medicare program itself.
Health care reform changes some wasteful Medicare payment policies. Some misstated reports of these changes have resulted in exaggerating public fear of cuts to Medicare benefits.
The Affordable Care Act, aka health care reform, achieves savings in the Medicare program through a series of payment reforms, service delivery innovations, and increased efforts to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse. The actual projected reduction in Medicare spending is $428 billion over 10 years, after $105 billion in new Medicare spending is taken into consideration. These projections actually extend the life of the Medicare trust fund by about a decade. None of the payment reforms affect Medicare’s guaranteed benefit packages. Indeed, the law specifically states that the guaranteed benefits in Medicare Part A and Part B will not be reduced or eliminated as a result of changes to the Medicare program.
Health Care Reform Rolls Back The Privatization of Medicare.
Most of the new law’s Medicare “cuts” are actually reductions in subsidies to private Medicare plans, which were begun in 2003 during the Bush Administration. These overpayments to private insurance companies, (known as “Medicare Advnatage” plans) will account for about $130 billion in Medicare savings over 10 years. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies that contract with the government to provide Medicare for people who choose to enroll in a private plan. By law these plans must provide all of the guaranteed benefits under Part A and Part B.
Under the funding mechanism in effect before enactment of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare Advantage plans were paid, on average, about 13% more than the traditional Medicare program to provide the same coverage. These extra payments resulted in Medicare Part B premiums being $3.35 higher per month for all beneficiaries in 2009, and resulted in the federal government (and taxpayers) spending $14 billion more than would have been necessary, if Medicare Advantage enrollees had remained in the traditional Medicare program.
The Affordable Care Act will end these wasteful overpayments by phasing in reductions in Medicare Advantage payments, starting with a payment freeze in 2011. Medicare Advantage payments will be based on national county benchmarks, with plans being paid a fixed percentage of traditional Medicare costs. As a result of this payment formula, plans in some lower-paid counties, generally rural and suburban areas, will continue to receive payments that exceed the traditional Medicare amount, while plans in higher paid counties, many of them large cities, may see substantial reductions. Rebates (an amount plans receive if they bid less than the county benchmark) will also be reduced. The new payment structure also provides for an increase in payments by up to 5% for plans that receive four or more stars for high quality on the CMS star rating system.
Health care reform cuts wasteful payments put in place to encourage private Medicare. Health care reform increases benefits for all people with Medicare, decreases Medicare costs for beneficiaries and taxpayers, and extends the life of the Medicare program.
Health care reform is good for Medicare. Pass it on!
The New York Times Features CMA’s Judith Stein in Its Coverage of Looming Medicare Enrollment Period
Judith Stein, right, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, with Jocelyne Watrous, a beneficiary consultant. Many private insurers this year are consolidating their Medicare offerings and discontinuing some plans.
From The New York Times:
Medicare enrollment season is approaching, and many experts say they believe it promises to be a turbulent one — “a perfect storm,” said Paul Gada of Allsup, a provider of Medicare plan selection services.
Why? In some areas, there will be dozens, even hundreds, of coverage options. The choices must be reviewed not just by current enrollees and a crush of baby boomers newly eligible for the government-run insurance program, but also by millions of people helping older beneficiaries.
All of them must navigate a system that is changing rapidly, in part because of requirements imposed by the new health care law. “It’s a complicated year for Medicare beneficiaries,” said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit group that helps Medicare beneficiaries.
To help simplify the process, you’ll first need a quick rundown of exactly what Medicare entails.
Read the full article, here.
CMA Health Policy Blog 